An Adventure in Shin Makoku
by Amles80
Summary: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to visit another world? In this story, an ordinary exchange student meet two ordinary Japanese young men, and is about to find out - because these two guys are, of course, known from a certain anime we all love and adore... Is there a reason for all this? Maybe Ulrike has the answer? *Warning: Original character pov.*
1. Chapter 1

When I had crossed the street, I looked down on the map in my hands to figure out where to go next and took a few slow, hesitant steps. The next moment I bumped right into someone, someone I was sure hadn't been there before.

"Excuse me! I'm sorry!" I said in my best Japanese, and looked up to see two young men. Thankfully, they didn't look upset at all. One of the boys answered me with a smile, but unfortunately I didn't catch the meaning of his words.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand", I said apologetically, and the boy replied in English:

"I said that it was entirely our fault for coming around the corner too quickly. It was really us who bumped into you." He looked at me with kind curiosity and asked: "Are you here in Japan on vacation? Do you need any help figuring out that map?"

I explained that I was in the country to study the language, which I was only in the beginning of learning, and introductions followed, complete with the phrases I had learned in class.

When I heard their names I couldn't help that I laughed – 'Shibuya Yuuri' and 'Murata Ken' were probably very common names, right? I still couldn't help myself, I had to comment, switching over to the more familiar English again:

"Oh, so your names are just like the Maou and the Great Sage of Shin Makoku, then!"

Even as I said it, I blushed, thinking that the comment was just as silly as if someone pointed out that a guy named Clark shared his name with Superman. The two young men, however, stared at me in shocked silence and then exchanged quick glances.

I was beginning to apologize for being silly and having overdosed on anime, when one of them – the one called Yuuri – took one step closer to me, stared me down and asked with an intensity that almost scared me:

"Who are you? How do you know Shin Makoku? Are you a Mazoku of Earth?"

I laughed nervously, not quite sure if he was only making fun of me or if he really thought I was playing a game…

"Um, that would have been cool, I guess, but no, I'm afraid I'm very ordinary…"

The other young man closed in on me as well, looking curiously – or suspiciously? – at me behind his glasses.

"I can tell you're not a Mazoku of either kind", he said, "so _what_ are you?"

_Funny_, I thought, _he even have the same kind of glasses…_ Then the thought hit me that perhaps they were cosplaying… but in that case they would have worn those black uniforms, right? These two looked just like two ordinary Japanese boys in their late teens or early twenties.

"I'm just a tourist", I said, and looked around me for clues, half-expecting people dressed as Yozak and Conrad to jump out of nowhere. "I don't… I don't know what to say. We do watch anime where I come from, but… I don't know how to play this game…And, you see, I really have to be somewhere right now…"

I tried to take one step away, but the boys immediately followed.

"Game?" Yuuri frowned. "Why are you talking about anime? Did you or did you not mention Shin Makoku?"

"I did", I said, standing absolutely still now.

"How do you know my title?" he insisted.

"Oh, come on!" I sighed in exasperation. "_Kyou Kara Maou_, guys! Give me a break, will you? This isn't funny anymore."

The two boys looked at each other, and I mulled over my choices. They didn't seem exactly threatening, but this was getting weird, and maybe I should run? On the other hand, they'd catch me in the blink of an eye if they wanted to…

The sidewalk we were standing on was empty except for the three of us, and not even on the other side of the street did I see a living soul, except a striped cat that looked calmly at something or other.

"What do you make of this, Murata?" the slightly taller and more muscular boy asked his friend.

"I'm not sure." The other guy seemed genuinely puzzled – was that possible? – and pushed his glasses up his nose with his right index finger. "I think… I think we'd better bring her to Ulrike. There might be more to this than what meets the eye. Or what do you say?" He turned to me again. "I'm going to ask you one more time: Who are you?"

"I've already told you!" I said. "I'm just an exchange student, there's nothing else to add."

"Murata", Yuuri said, "don't be so suspicious. I'm sure there's a logical explanation. I'll bet she's met someone who knows us… Hey, do you know my older brother, Shouri?"

I shook my head, although I knew very well who that brother of his was supposed to be, and the small hopeful smile that was beginning to form on Yuuri's face faded away.

"Look", I said, "I don't know who you are, or who you think I am, but I just recognized your name from this anime I've been watching, that's all. I'm sure you get that a lot; you must be tired of hearing it, and I apologize. Truly, I do. Can I please go now?"

"You're saying", Murata said very slowly, "that there's an anime about us? Where even Shin Makoku is mentioned? That's impossible! Besides, we're Japanese. Anime is made in this country; we'd certainly know about it if someone had found out about the other world and tried to make money out of it!"

I didn't know what to say. One of us was going crazy – it was just that from the look on their faces, I was no longer sure that _I_ wasn't the crazy one.

Crazy as they both were – or as I was? – I was relieved that they still bothered to talk to me in English.

"That settles it, Shibuya – we need Ulrike for this."

"Okay…" Yuuri scratched his head. "If you're sure. I agree that it seems suspicious, and we were about to head back soon anyway, so…"

"On three!"

The young man who was acting like the Great Sage of Shin Makoku grabbed both of us by the arms and dragged us out in the street. There were no cars or buses but I still protested loudly. I was dragged to a big puddle in the middle of the street – it had stopped raining only an hour or so earlier – and I was wondering just how far the boys were going to take this practical joke.

Then I didn't have to wonder about that any longer, because I was sucked down, and soon I couldn't tell down from up anymore and water and darkness was all around me, and the firm grip on my upper arm didn't let go.

Next thing I knew, I was sitting down in water; I was soaking wet and I head the splashing sound of bodies getting up from the water. I kept my eyes closed. I _thought _that I could guess where I was, but I was afraid. Afraid of finding out if I was right, or afraid of being wrong? I didn't have the answer.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty, Your Grace! We weren't expecting you so soon. Who is your guest?"

It was a girl's voice. Were there going to be a crowd of young women around her, women with arms? Was I really sitting in the fountain right in the middle of..?

"Or guest", replied the voice I knew belonged to the boy with glasses, "is the reason we have returned early. We need your advice about her, Ulrike."

I opened my eyes and almost fainted from the shock of being surrounded by something so familiar, and yet so _strange_. I was in the fountain at the Shinou temple, all right, but it didn't _quite_ look like I had expected. Or rather, what could I have expected? I hadn't been transferred to a bright and colorful anime world; everything around me was solid and _real_ and solid, just like the Japanese street I had been crossing moments ago, but I was certain this wasn't Japan. Unlike Yuuri on his first visit to Shin Makoku, I couldn't believe that I was in some 'attraction' in a theme park or something.

This was the real thing. Not that I could explain it, but it definitely was the real thing.

_Author's notes: Yeah, I do feel like I'm violating some sacred code of fanfiction by writing a first person original character point of view, but I just couldn't resist the temptation! Haven't we all sometimes wondered what would happen if we suddenly got flushed into another world? Hopefully you'll find this amusing, and if so, welcome to follow the story. :) Rest assured; I am not planning any canon character/OC romance in this one! And I'm not particularly plotting to "break up" a certain engaged couple this time, either. ;) (Though no promises…) By the way, I have not abandoned "Cherie's Baby"; I'll update when I have the time to write and when I'm tired of this little game… _


	2. Chapter 2

After I – and the boys – had changed into dry clothes, I was interrogated for what felt like an eternity. It felt weird being dressed like one of the temple maidens, but not as weird as trying to explain to my interrogators – or kidnappers, more like it – that I really had no idea how it was possible that I was there with them.

How could I suddenly enter a fictional world? This world had real people, there was no denying it. Ulrike was the same Ulrike I had watched in anime-form, but now, right before my eyes, she looked just like a normal little girl, albeit with abnormally long hair, and abnormally non-childlike eyes.

She was wise, she was experienced; she was 800 years old. And the sage, he was even older, or at least something within his soul was. That is, if he was who he said he was. But why wouldn't he be, when all the evidence – not logic, but evidence – pointed towards it it?

Ulrike couldn't explain it any more than I could.

"I would know if there was an anime called 'Kyou kara Maou' and we all were in it", the sage insisted. "It's just not possible!"

"If it's not possible", I retorted, "then how do you explain that I know who you are? Have I just dreamed it, or what?"

"That… that is possible…"

The child-like priestess' voice was dreamy and gentle.

I hid my face in my hands, hoping that when I looked up again, everything would have gone back to normal. I was not that lucky.

"I don't know what to say", I said, "just… Please believe me when I say that I'm not here to cause you problems. I don't have any evil plans or anything, I have no reason to be here and no explanation. I'm just as confused as you are."

"I believe you", Yuuri said.

"Hm", his friend said. "I don't know; I might regret this later, but I believe you, too. But I do intend to go the bottom of this."

"I don't have anything to add", Ulrike said. "Perhaps His Majesty Shinou will talk to me later, but for now… it's a mystery. I don't think you have anything to fear from this girl, though."

"Then shall we bring you home?" Yuuri asked.

I opened my mouth to say yes, but before I knew it I had changed my mind.

"Please, can I stay? Even if it's just for a day?"

It was crazy, of course, but how often do you find yourself in another world? I couldn't leave without seeing a bit more of the real Shin Makoku, even if it was just going to be the surroundings of the temple.

All three of them thought about it in silence. I was getting nervous, when Yuuri finally said:

"What harm can it do? You're welcome to stay as my guest if you want to."

"Thank you!" I said. Then I remembered to consider the possibility that the real ruler of the country could be a lot more formal than the anime version of him. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"You can call me Yuuri", he said, and his smile was kinder than anything I had ever seen before.

"Yes, and you may call me Great Sage", said his friend solemnly. "Just kidding", he added with a laugh. "You already know that I go by the name Murata, and that's fine. And what Shibuya just said – I think it's best if we just introduce you as a guest, for now, a friend from Earth. We don't want to make the others worried."

"Thank you", I repeated. "I'm so excited about this. You have no idea how many times I've been dreaming of this – of going to another world!"

"Well, that is what many fantasy stories are made of", Yuuri commented, "so it's understandable. And perhaps there really is a reason as to why you're here, and we'll find out if you stay for a while. Besides, it'll be fun to have someone else from my world around for a change. I have been here a few years by now, but there are still things here that I'm not quite used to."

When that was settled, and Murata's suspicions were quieted, at least for the time being, by Ulrike's calm acceptance of the situation, we went to Blood Pledge Castle by carriage. As we journeyed, I looked out of the window and I saw the green hills and the trees and flowers. The vegetation was lush and deep green, and I thought it must be late in the summer. Not yet fall, but the summer had peaked and was thinking of its retirement.

I didn't want to admit it, but I was beginning to get very nervous. These boys were friendly enough, finally, but what was I thinking, planning to hang out with noblemen and ladies, who could all fight and use _magic_?

In an effort to hide my thoughts, I chatted excitedly with Yuuri about the flying skeletons; he even introduced me to one of them – Kohi – though how he could tell one from another was more than I could comprehend. I already knew that they were supposed to be friendly, but they were actually scarier to look at than what I could have imagined.

"Don't worry", Yuuri said, "you'll get used to them. I know what you're thinking; they're impossible to get used to, but I promise it won't feel so strange once you get to know them."

His enthusiasm was adorable but I wasn't entirely convinced. At least it had given me something to think about, and then it was time to step out of the carriage.

"Yuuri!" somebody called. "Why are you traveling like that? Why didn't you send for someone to meet you with your own horse?"

"Because we have a guest", Yuuri explained as he opened the door to step out, "and she's not used to horses, so…"

"She?" the voice said with obvious disapproval, and I suspected I knew who it was.

Murata nudged me and I had to get out and face whoever it was that was out there. _This is going to be a great adventure_, I reminded myself, _and I haven't done anything wrong, so I don't need to be this nervous…_

Yuuri introduced me as his 'friend' – which actually was very kind of him – to the young blond man who had come to greet him.

When I saw Wolfram von Bielefeld, I had to admit that he was a very handsome young man in non-anime form. His eyes weren't _that_ big, although their green color was striking, and his hair wasn't _that _yellow, but definitely golden and shining. His features were sharp but well-shaped, and I supposed that it was natural that lots of girls were crazy about him. Girls in my world, that is – if he only knew how many fangirls would love to be where I was…

He was far from my type, though, and judging from the way he looked at me, he was just as unimpressed by what he saw. To be quite honest, he made me very nervous by looking at me like that, as if I was something the cat dragged in, and he couldn't wait until he could crush me under his foot. He probably suspected that by being Yuuri's friend, I was hoping for something more; in his eyes, I was nothing but an intruder… and to be honest, I sort of was that, wasn't I?

I decided that the best I could do was to just smile politely and say nothing at all. Soon enough he was going to see that I wasn't going to try to steal his fiancé.

"So", Yuuri said, "shall we go inside and meet the others?"

He gestured towards the entrance of the very big castle as if it was the most normal thing in the world to live in such a place, and I nodded insecurely. I had always loved castles, because I was interested in history, but I had always seen them as more like museums or even ruins. Blood Pledge Castle was, of course, neither, but a home to many people. _Many demons_, I reminded myself.

But we hadn't taken a step yet, when a voice from inside shouted:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

It could only be Günter von Christ, I said to myself, and I saw no reason to change my mind when a very tall man came running, his long and silky hair flying behind him, and he wrapped his king in a tight embrace.

"It's good to see you too, Günter", Yuuri said and stood patiently still for several moments before he began wriggling to get loose.

Again, there were introductions, and unlike the fiancé, the adjutant seemed genuinely pleased to welcome a stranger from the Maou's first world. I tried not to stare at him too much, but I couldn't help that I compared what I saw with the images I already had in my mind. I decided that unlike Wolfram, I liked Günter better in flesh and blood. He was very handsome, very pale, and he _had_ virtually glomped Yuuri, but he looked rather sensible and composed in my eyes. I was sure that the anime probably had exaggerated some things about him.

We finally went inside and there was a long corridor with portraits on the walls and our feet clattered against the stone floor. It wasn't cold, but a bit cool, and a couple of maids that passed us by gave me curious glances. I wondered if they were surprised to see a human in there, or if it was because I was dressed like a temple guard.

"Hey," I whispered to Murata as we followed the other three – both Wolfram and Günter seemed to have many things to discuss with Yuuri – "Lord von Christ seems to like Yuuri a lot, doesn't he? Is he, um… prone to nosebleeding?"

Murata looked at me as if I was completely out of my mind.

"What makes you say that? You really have been watching too much anime, haven't you?! We're real people here, you know!"

"Um", I said with a blush, "I'm sorry; you're right, I'm just confused…"

"Do you even know what it means when characters do that?" he continued. "And to think that Lord von Christ would – oh my god, please excuse me while I go bleach my brain!"

"I'm sorry", I said again, but I was satisfied with the response; I didn't like the idea of watching a real person spurt blood from his nose any more than Murata did, and now I knew that I wouldn't have to witness any such scenes. "Where are we going now?" I added after a moment; we had walked up a huge staircase and were walking in another corridor; that one with its floor covered with a red carpet that muffled the sound of our steps.

"We're on our way to Lady Cheri's parlor; I believe we'll find Shibuya's daughter there. She's always the first one he wants to see when he returns. Not that she's his natural daughter; she was adopted by him and von Bielefeld a couple years ago."

I bit down on my lip, hiding the words 'I know', and simply nodded that I got the information. Letting on just how much I actually knew of these people would probably only make his suspicions grow – and come to think of it, now that I walked side by side with him right in the middle of Blood Pledge Castle, I didn't really feel like I knew them at all…

Soon enough I saw a pair of double doors; closed, and Yuuri stopped as if to knock before entering, but Wolfram pushed the doors open without knocking.

"Greta, your other father is home!"

"Yuuri!" I heard from inside, and Murata nudged me to keep me moving as the others in front of me entered the room.

At first I was surprised by what I saw – I had expected Greta to be smaller. Then I remembered Yuuri saying something about having been there a few years already, so I supposed it made sense that Greta, being human, would be a 'tween' rather than a little girl of Ulrike's size.

Her brown hair was just as wild and untamed as it 'ought' to be, though, and her eyes shone with obvious affection for the young man she was hugging tightly.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty", a male voice said. "Who is your friend?"

"Oh, this…" Yuuri broke free from his daughter's embrace, and explained to everyone who I was, according to the story we had agreed on.

"And this", he turned to me, "is Lady Cecilie von Spitzweg, former Maou of Shin Makoku, Wolfram's mother and Greta's grandmother."

The gorgeous blonde smiled at me, and for a moment, all I could think was _wow, her eyes are so green…_ Then I tried to pull myself together, as if my thoughts would be written on my face and visible to everyone. I turned my attention back to Yuuri.

"And here is my most valued soldier and bodyguard, my godfather and very dear friend, Conrad Weller, who by the way should know that he should call me by my first name…"

I smiled when I heard the familiar reprimand, and was once again overwhelmed with the conflicting feelings of being in a completely new and yet so familiar setting. Did I know these people or did I not?

I did not, I concluded as I took one more look at the still smiling Cecilie. If her youngest son made me want to keep my distance because his radiant beauty was so _male_ and the opposite of everything I was attracted to, Cecilie made me want to come closer like a moth to the flame.

She was blonde and beautiful and green-eyed like Wolfram, but shining with warmth and softness; she was gorgeous, and so much better in person than anything any artist could ever imagine.

_Sexy Queen_, I thought, and hoped that I didn't blush. She was definitely the kind of woman who was way out of my league, and I was glad Yuuri had introduced me, because I would no doubt have stuttered over my own name if I had had to say it.

To try to compose myself, I looked at Conrad instead. Compared to the two blond ones, he seemed pretty normal and safe to be around. He looked kindly at me and invited me to sit down, and Cecilie went to ask a maid for tea and cake for everyone.

When I sat down, I was careful not to sit next to or opposite Yuuri, because it might have upset Wolfram. I also didn't want to sit next to or opposite Yuuri's intended future mother-in-law, because it might throw me off balance. Instead, I turned my attention to Greta, Conrad and Günter, who all seemed very pleased to have an unexpected guest. Greta wanted to know all about my friendship with Yuuri, and it worried me at first, but then I decided to try to stick to the truth as much as I could, and explained that I hadn't known him for a very long time at all.

"You must have formed a very special bond", Günter observed, "for His Majesty to want to introduce you to Shin Makoku after so short an acquaintance."

Was there suspicion in his voice, or just curiosity?

"Yeah, you know Yuuri", I said and tried to sound casual and carefree, "he's so easy-going, we just hit it off immediately, I guess…"

"That's so like him!" Günter agreed with a smile.

"It sure is", Wolfram added. "He likes everyone, because that's what wimps do. If Yuuri would remember more often that he actually is a king…"

"Hey", Yuuri protested, "I'm right here, so please don't talk about me as if I couldn't hear you!"

"Wimp!" Wolfram said, and smacked him – affectionately? – on the head, and then put his arm around his shoulder. Yuuri squirmed and pushed his arm away.

"Hey, don't push me!" Wolfram said, and pushed Yuuri right back.

"Uh-oh, pillow fight alert!" Murata said. "Lady Cheri, watch those embroidered cushions or they'll turn into weapons…"

"Cut it out, you guys!" Yuuri said, and glared at Murata and Wolfram. "We have a guest, remember?"

"As if she hasn't seen it all before", Murata muttered, and I hoped no one would notice or wonder what he meant.

What did the scene I witnessed mean, though? Was I supposed to be surprised to see that Yuuri and Wolfram really acted more like two quarrelling little boys than lovers?

I dared a quick glance at Wolfram's mother, and saw that she looked sad. She looked at the two young men as if she was looking at a sweet dream that was slipping away from her. Conrad, sitting opposite from me at the table, looked absolutely blank, as if he was spacing out completely. _Maybe_, I thought, _he is tired of hearing his brother calling the boy he loves a wimp… _Only, I didn't really know anything about that, and I reminded myself that I wasn't there to meddle in someone's lovelife.

The awkward silence lasted for a few more moments, until Greta began telling us a story about something she had done with Anissina the other day, and everybody seemed grateful for the interruption.

Then, Günter stood and said that he remembered that he had something to do. He disappeared from the room, and nobody seemed to be more than just mildly surprised.

"Günter works so hard when Gwendal is away", Yuuri commented. "He does more than his share of the extra work, but really, I should be the one to do that…"

Yes, that reminded me – some people were missing. I hadn't thought about it at first, because I had been so overwhelmed, but where was Gwendal? And Anissina?

On the other hand, it felt like I was surrounded by more than enough people already…

"He'll forgive you", Conrad said. "You've been to Earth, and you're entitled to a little rest before you get to work."

"Not really", Yuuri said. "It's not like I'm jetlagged. I have dry clothes on and I have eaten; I should join Günter." Then he remembered me. "Um… Will you be alright on your own? I'll see you at dinner…"

"I'll take care of her!" Greta beamed. "I'll show her around, it'll be fun!"

I smiled, "You haven't had a guest in a long time, have you?"

"No", she said, "so I hope you'll stay for a very long time!"

"We'll see about that", I replied, not sure how long it would take before my self-invitation had expired. For the moment, though, I was determined to make the most of my stay in Shin Makoku, and I was happy to follow the child out of Cecilie's elegant parlor.


End file.
